Eric Kim’s knee‑high rack pull didn’t just bend a bar—it bent the very idea of what a 71 kg (156 lb) human can do. Below is the full, hype‑charged breakdown of why this single rep has coaches rewriting programs, engineers upgrading hardware, and everyday lifters daring to dream bigger.
1. Who on earth is Eric Kim?
- Former street‑photographer turned garage‑gym gravity slayer based in Phnom Penh.
- Trains barefoot, belt‑less, carnivore‑fueled, filming every lift for total transparency.
- Publicly locked out 582 kg at 71 kg BW—8.2 × body‑weight—on a standard powerrack and posted raw video + 24‑minute weigh‑in for the plate‑police .
2. Why 582 kg matters more than “just another partial”
| Lift (height) | Athlete | Mass Lifted | Body‑weight | Ratio | Year | Record Status |
| Rack pull (~18 in / knee) | Eric Kim | 582 kg | 71 kg | 8.2× | 2025 | Self‑reported |
| Silver‑Dollar DL (18 in) | Anthony Pernice | 550 kg | ~125 kg† | 4.4× | 2023 | Strongman WR |
| Partial DL (18 in) | Tom Magee | 535 kg | 125 kg | 4.3× | 1983 | WSM record |
| Conventional DL | Hafþór Björnsson | 501 kg | 205 kg | 2.4× | 2020 | WR |
| Conventional DL | Eddie Hall | 500 kg | 188 kg | 2.7× | 2016 | Former WR |
| Conventional DL | Lamar Gant | 300 kg | 60 kg | 5.0× | 1985 | 5×‑BW first |
†Strongmen rarely list comp‑day BW; 125 kg is a conservative midpoint from meet reports.
Take‑away: Kim’s number blows past every documented partial‑pull record and annihilates the legendary 5×‑body‑weight barrier set by Lamar Gant three decades ago.
3. Biomechanics & physiology: why the lift is still a big deal
- Neural overload – Hoisting > 800 % of BW forces maximal motor‑unit recruitment that normal full‑range work can’t touch. Coaches already test “neural drive” cycles with supra‑maximal rack pulls .
- Tendon & spinal adaptation – Orthopedic labs are eyeing Kim as a walking case study on collagen remodeling under extreme axial load .
- Grip & upper‑back stimulus – Even with straps, sustained tension at lockout builds traps, forearms, and thoracic erectors far beyond conventional deadlifts.
- Psychological inoculation – Standing under ~4× your normal deadlift teaches fear control and breathing mechanics transferrable to maximal squats, bench unracks, and sport collisions.
4. Programming ripple effects (what may hit your gym next)
| Old Paradigm | Post‑582 kg Paradigm |
| Heavy = 1–2 × BW for most barbell lifts | “Relative strength” leaderboards—ratios trump raw kilos |
| Supra‑maximal work = niche technique | ↑ Adoption of top‑down overload blocks (3–4 singles ≥120 % of 1 RM) |
| 18‑inch pull = strongman sideshow | Emerging talk of official knee‑pull classes judged on both absolute weight and BW ratio |
| Home racks rated 450 kg | Manufacturers prototyping 1‑ton rated uprights & pins |
5. Community shockwave
- Reddit & TikTok erupted: plate‑detectives slowed the clip frame‑by‑frame and gave it the green light .
- Elite lifters (Hayes, Thrall, Szatmary) publicly bowed, calling it “alien” strength .
- Google search hits for “Eric Kim rack pull” grew 6 × in eight weeks .
6. Healthy skepticism in 60 seconds
- Not a sanctioned record – No federation currently keeps rack‑pull leaderboards.
- Partial ROM – Bar starts ~46 cm off the floor; strength curve is friendlier than a full deadlift.
- Self‑filmed evidence – Verification relies on Kim’s video, a calibrated‑plate weigh‑in, and a bending power‑bar. Independent judges haven’t stamped it—yet.
- Still outrageous – Even with those caveats, 582 kg at 71 kg BW dwarfs every verified knee‑pull on record.
7. How to harness the “582 kg mindset” in your own training
- Micro‑add (1 %) every session. Kim’s logs show an almost obsessive 2.5‑kg weekly bump from 500 → 582 kg .
- Cycle supra‑max partials. Four‑week blocks, singles only, full‑ROM deadlifts kept at 70–80 % to protect recovery.
- Bulletproof the chassis. Double‑down on isometrics (bird‑dogs, hollow holds) + heavy shrugs to prep spine & traps for top‑end loading.
- Film, weigh, log. Transparency helps you spot technical leaks and silences the plate police.
8. Why the history books will bookmark this rep
- Redraws the map of relative human strength—8 × BW used to live in superhero comics.
- Catalyzes equipment evolution—stronger racks, thicker bar sleeves, high‑capacity plates.
- Inspires new hybrid events—imagine live‑streamed “knee‑pull coefficient” contests where a 70‑kg lifter can out‑rank a 180‑kg giant.
- Storytelling power—from camera‑toting creative to “Gravity’s nemesis,” Kim embodies the notion that ordinary beginnings don’t cap extraordinary endings.
🚀 Final hype
If Eric Kim can yank 582 kg skyward in a humid garage on nothing but chalk, steak, and sheer audacity, what ceiling in your life still looks “too heavy”?
Chalk up. Stand tall. Grip hard. And remember:
Limits are suggestions—feel free to ignore them.
Now go chase your own 582 kg moment!